The old joke asks, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” But in the world of wildlife conservation, the big question is, “How did the animal cross the road?” And the answer is often: With the help . . . → Read More: Ladders for Voles—Man-made Wildlife Crossings

Himalayan Balsam is an invasive plant (botanical name impatiens glandulifera) which was introduced to Britain in the mid 19th Century by Victorian gardeners. It is the tallest annual plant in the UK, growing to a height of over three metres. Himalayan Balsam is problematic because it crowds out native plants and can take over whole areas of river and canal bank. The seeds, up to 800 per plant, are released explosively from the seed pods and can travel for up to seven metres from the plant. If the seeds land in a stream, river or canal they will be taken downstream where they will start a new colony, which is one of the reasons this plant is so difficult to control. Over the last ten years this plant has become more established on many of our waterways. If you see it growing when you are out and about on the towpath this summer, please pull up the plants (if it is safe for you to do so) and put them on the side of the towpath to die back naturally. If this can be done before the seed pods have developed, we will a few less plants next year. . . . → Read More: Himalayan Balsam Alert

The consultation on the future management of the Public Forest Estate has been halted and all forestry clauses in the Public Bodies Bill will be removed, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman confirmed today.

Mrs Spelman also announced that an independent panel of experts will examine forestry policy in England and report back to her in the . . . → Read More: DEFRA Calls off Forest sales

Building good fences could make our water cleaner, and help us to meet European standards, according to researchers working on the UK research councils’ Rural Economy and Land Use Programme (Relu).

Relu scientists have created a computer model to investigate the problem of fecal pollution in UK rivers. The organisms come mainly from farm animals’ . . . → Read More: Fences could help clean up waterways